Stingray

By Joey Kitching and Mark Norval

 

The stingray, also known as Jinnup in the Nykina Language, is a crucial food source for Indigenous communities along the Northern Australian coastline. Hunters used spears to catch them in shallow tidal waters. In the Derby region, stingrays and saw sharks have adapted to the Fitzroy River's freshwater billabongs, even venturing 100 kilometers away. Derby Artist Joey Kitching's sculpture highlights the streamlined flatness of the stingray, blending in with the tidal flats of the King Sound. The Nykina language group spans from Derby to the Mangala people of the Great Sandy Desert.

This sculpture was completed in 2023.